Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC3122 Glenduckie Hill, Fife

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Fife Council None (None)

NMR:  NO 21 NE 5 (30060)

SM:  None

NGR:  NO 2813 1931

X:  328130  Y:  719310  (OSGB36)

Summary

This fort occupies the summit of the SW spur of Glenduckie Hill, comprising an irregular enclosure backing onto a cliff-edge along its NW flank and elsewhere defended by a single rampart reduced to a stony scarp and probably accompanied by an external ditch, though the latter is visible only on the NE. The interior measures 128m from NE to SW by a maximum of 47m transversely (0.46ha), but appears to have been reduced in size at a later date by the insertion of a wall 3m in thickness with an external ditch some 25m short of the NE end. One entrance is marked by a causeway across the ditch on the NE, and a possible second by a gap in the rampart on the SW, which had been used for timber extraction when RCAHMS investigators drew up a plan in 1952. Apart from what is probably a later stone-walled settlement enclosing a single large hut-circle towards the SW end, the interior is featureless. This settlement measures about 30m in diameter within a wall faced externally with large boulders and spread about 2.7m in thickness; its entrance is on the S. Its roughly central hut-circle measures about 15m in diameter within a wall 1.8m in thickness and also has an entrance on the S.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -352306  Y:  7630555  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.1648172947022504  Latitude:  56.36068449306758  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Fife

Historic County:  Fife

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Flisk

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

None

Current Use:
Woodland  
Commercial Forestry Plantation  
Parkland  
Pasture (Grazing)  
Arable  
Scrub/Bracken  
Bare Outcrop  
Heather/Moorland  
Heath  
Built-up  
Coastal Grassland  
Other  

Landscape

Hillfort Type

None

Type:
Contour Fort  
Partial Contour Fort  
Promontory Fort  
Hillslope Fort  
Level Terrain Fort  
Marsh Fort  
Multiple Enclosure Fort  

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop  
Coastal Promontory  
Inland Promontory  
Valley Bottom  
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop  
Ridge  
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp  
Hillslope  
Lowland  
Spur  

Dominant Topographic Feature:  None

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  195.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

In the absence of excavation, there are neither stratified artefacts nor radiocarbon dates to provide a chronology for the defences.

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC  
1200BC - 800BC  
800BC - 400BC  
400BC - AD50  
AD50 - AD400  
AD400 - AD 800  
Post AD800  
Unknown  

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   Overlain by a LIA homestead and subsequently planted with trees

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

None

Investigations:
Earthwork Survey (1952):   Plan and description for RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands (RCAHMS FID 4/1-3 & 5, & DP158207, DP053137, DP158210)
1st Identified Map Depiction (1970):   Surveyed at 1:2500 by the OS

Interior Features

Apart from what is probably a later homestead enclosing a single large hut-circle, the interior is featureless

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

Later homestead enclosing a single hut-circle

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features  
Round Stone Structures  
Rectangular Stone Structures  
Curvilinear Platforms  
Other Roundhouse Evidence  
Pits  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics  
Pits  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Finds

None

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds  
Pottery  
Metal  
Metalworking  
Human Bones  
Animal Bones  
Lithics  
Environmental  
Other  

Aerial

NO APPARENT FEATURES

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked  
None  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roads/Tracks  
Other  

Entrances

See main summary

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
3:   Heavily reduced all round the circuit

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   None
2. Simple Gap (South west):   None

Enclosing Works

Single wall around three sides, and a later wall reducing its length.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.46ha.
Total:   0.46ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✓   Wall inserted across the interior at the NE end

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   This excludes the smaller settlement situated within the interior

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   0
Total:   2

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  
Unknown  

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  

Surface Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Rubble  
Wall-walk  
Evidence of Timber  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
Other  

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Murus Duplex  
Timber-framed  
Timber-laced  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
No Known Excavation  
Other  

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

No related records



Terms of Use

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and should be cited as:

Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk


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